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Football Manager 2017
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Join Date:Posts: 8513
Newry A.F.C. Season 2 :
After guiding Newry to a sixth place and top half finish in season one despite only taking over halfway into the season, I set about trying to build a decent squad. However, I quickly realised that doing so with a semi pro outfit who can only sign players on a non-contract basis is considerably harder than I would have liked. I had a veteran striker up front in Sean McMullen who just had to be shipped off. I brought in decent youngsters, but the lad who was most responsible for our good run at the end of last season, Jimmy Walker, decided to up sticks an leave, leaving a gaping hole behind my striker. Signed a left back (who went on to play at left wing for the rest of the season!), and a right back, and a striker (20 year old Rhys Grainger to replace McMullen, but couldn't find a replacement for Walker so I had to look within my own squad. I fired another youngster by the name of William Wright in there for the first game of the season and I haven't looked back since.
The board still wants a top half finish this season, along with a fifth round showing in the N.I. Cup.
The league didn't go so well, and for a few weeks we were lingering above the dropzone, and with me being unable to offer any contracts (even non contracts) to any of my players due to them wanting us to ensure safety first, there seemed to be a mass exodus from my squad with ten players in all leaving in a short space of time. Thankfully, both Grainger and Wright love me so they stayed. At the same time, a managerial vacancy opened up at Ards (who were relegated from the Premier the previous season) and I was being touted as one of the favourites for the job. Looking at how much my squad had just been decimated, it was so tempting to apply. I was even asked by the media about it. Had Ards contacted me who knows what would have happened. Thankfully, the remainder of the squad regrouped and pulled ourselves out of the relegation battle to a relatively respectable 8th place finish.
As for the cups though, we managed to reach the 6th round in the main N.I. Cup, and knocked out in the second round of the league cup to Premier side Portadown (board expected us to "be competitive").
There was still one more cup left though, the N.I. Intermediate Cup (No Premier Teams), where we managed to navigate our way all the way to the final, including an amazing 3-2 extra time win against Dundela despite losing 2-0 at half time. This was also with squad so thread bare that I could realistically only make one sub. So, onwards to the final against...Ards. Who else?! Not only that, but we were going to have to face them without my main striker Grainger. Thankfully, my head of youth development had finally decided to do something after about a year at the club and had recruited a good few younsters for my assessment about a month previous. One of these was 16 year old Neil Downey who, you guessed it, was about to write his name in the Newry history books a lot sooner than he ever would have imagined. 34 minutes into the final, 20 yard screamer into the top corner! Ards did come back with an equaliser though just after the break, which eventually saw us into extra-time and penalties, two of which were saved by our keeper. We scored all of ours, including Downey himself. Champions! First trophy in the history of Newry AFC. Boom!
In the close season now, and the best thing in the game has just happened for me. The board have finally accepted my request to be sent on a coaching course! I needed that badly!
I have my one trophy from Northern Ireland though. I know it's not quite a top level one, but at least I won't feel guilty if I get bored of this league and move on! :pac:
Trophy haul :
Country | Season | Trophy
Northern Ireland | 2017/18 | N.I. Intermediate Cup0 -
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If you can't beat them, join them.
I feel dirty, but in my defense I was out of contract and the board would not let me relay the pitch or upgrade our scouting range!
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StringerBell wrote: »Winning the league each season now, 4 in a row with Waterford. Have had mixed success in Europe, best was reaching the CL group stages once and finishing 3rd in the group ahead of Villarreal incredibly to me. Have reached the quarters of the Euro cup before losing 3-1 on agg to Hertha.
Struggling to stay motivated, I keep getting offers from England, even a couple of Premier League teams at this stage, the ones at the bottom of the table in December/January like. I went for a job with Middlesborough,they would have been too tough for me to turn down given how much money they have, facilities, potential etc. They went in another direction though after the interview and in a way I was happy enough too as I do want to stick it out with Waterford for another few seasons and see what kind of progress I can make if any on a European scale before leaving, ultimately dooming them to return to mediocrity (so says my ego)
Until a job I can't turn down comes along I think I should be ok, Leeds, Forest etc don't tempt me enough. My squad average age is still just 25, only a couple of experienced heads in there and I find I am now Bayern Munich-ing the division for the hell of it, buying the best players from the opposition even if I don't actually need them.
Isn't that what Joeys agent used to say to him in Friends when he bombed an audition ?
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Mental little bug with Schweinsteiger. La Galaxy every few days log a bid I accept, Schweinsteiger then agrees terms, and the transfer fails due to them having the max amount of foreign players. They repeat this cycle, its going on about 8 ingame months ffs
Same thing happened in my Arsenal save for Santi Cazorla.
In fairness, they are 3 tough players to get rid of 0 -
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